Apparatus for abstracting heat from fluids



Patented Oct. 17, 1922 P. R. McCRARY. APPARATUS FOR ABSTRACTING HEATFROM FLUIDS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, um.

Patented (Dot. 1?, lQZZ.

I PIERCE R. MoCR-ARY, OF EAST NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR ABSTRACTING HEAT FROM FLUIDS.

Application filed May 14,

To all whom it may com-em.

Be it known that I, PIERCE R. MCCRARY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at East Nor-walk, in the countyof Fairficld 5 and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Apparatus for Abstracting Heat from Fluids, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus which is adaptable for cooling,liquefying or condensing fluids. and while particularly adapted forrefrigerating systems, it is applicable for use in the fractionaldistillation of gases or in the liqueficatiou of gases.

The object of the invention isto provide an efficient method and simpleapparatus for this purpose, and this object is attained by building astructure which is in the nature of a combined condenser and coolingtower and by means of pumps circulating through this structure vaporizedwater or other liquid and iarified air or other gases and utilizing thecombined and co-operating effect of both liquid and gas to abstractheat. units from the fluid to be cooled, liquefied, condensed orotherwise treated.

The apparatus illustrated as embodying this invention has a casingcontaining coils of pipe through which the fluid to be treated iscirculated. Extending through the center of the coils is a stand pipethat is connected with a liquid circulating pump and is provided withadjustable outlets at different heights for throwing upon the coils 35 afine spray or vapor of the heat absorbing liquid that is circulated bythe pump. The

casing also has an air or gas inlet near one end and an out-let near theother end that is connected with an air or gas exhaust pump 4 or suctionblower which causes a rarification of the air or gas in the casing androduces a rapid circulation therethrough w ich absorbsand carries awayheat directly from the coils and also from the cooling vapor that issprayed onto the coils.

In the views Fig. 1 shows a central section of the tower casing andcondensing coils, with the liquid pump and the gas pump shown in sideelevation. Fig. 2 shows a 50 horizontal section taken across the casingon the plane indicated by the dotted line 2-2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows,on larger scale, a central section through one of the liquid sprayingoutlets on the stand pipe. Fig. 4 55 shows a central section of amodified form 1919. Serial No. 297,060.

of liquid spraying outlet that may beutilized.

The base 1 of the casing is desirably a circular casting. Set upon thebase with its lower end in a suitably packedgroove is a cylindricalshell 2, and placed upon the top of the shell is a cast cap 3 that has asuitably packed groove for receiving the upper end of the shell. Theseparts are tied together by the stand pipe 4 which has its lower endthreaded and screwed into a threaded hub 5 projecting upwardly from theinterior of the base, and has its upper end threaded for receiving thenut 6 which screws down upon the capwith suflicient strength to securethe parts'tightly. In the casing and located in position before theeasing and cap are set in place, are two coils, the smaller coil 7 beinglocated within the larger coil 8. These two coils are joined at the topby aconnection 9. The liquid or gas to be cooled, condensed or otherwisetreated is circulated in a common manner through these coils, flowing inthrough the inlet 10 that passes through the base and connects with thebottom of the larger coil, and flowing out through the outlet 11 thatpassesthrough the base and is connected with the lower end of thesmaller coil. r'

A liquid pump 12 is connected by an intake pipe 13 with the chamber inthe base and is connected by the outflow pipe 14 with a passage 15 inthe base that leads to the open lower end of the stand pipe. At Variousheights on the stand pipe are a number of lateral orifices 16, andfastened on the stand pipe about these openings is a sleeve 17 withopenings 18 that register with the openings in the pipe. The upper endof the sleeve is threaded and the'lower end is provided with anoutwardly extending circular flange or upwardly turned circular spraycup 19. Threaded on the sleeve is a collar with an outwardly extendingcircular flange 'or downwardly turned circular spray cup 20. Theopposing surfaces 32 and 33 of the sleeve and collar flanges may be madesubstantially parallel as illustrated in Fig. 4. The orifice 21 betweenthe spray flanges is adjusted to the necessary width to effect thedesired result by turning the collar on the threaded sleeve. When theliquid pump is in operation, water or other liquid is forced through thebase and up through the stand pipe and thrown out through the orificebetween the flanges in a disk-like spray or vapor so as to envelop thecoils and absorb heat radiated through them from the fluid that iscirculating in them. The sprayed liquid precipitates and collects in thechamber in the base which may at all times contain a quantity of coolingliquid and is returned to the pump and again circulated. Thus the sameliquid may be used over and over.

Through the shell near its lower end are 0 enin s 22 for the in ress ofair or other gas, and movable up and down on the exterior of the shellover these openings is a band 23. By sliding this band up or down thearea of the air intake openings may be enlarged or reduced for thepurpose of increasing or decreasing the inflow of air, and thus thedegree of vacuum or rarification of air in the casing may be regulatedas desired. 7

The intake 24 of an exhaust pump or suction blower 25 is connected by apipe 26 with the chamber in the cap at the top of the casing and theoutlet 27 from this pump may lead to any desired locality. The shaft 28of the liquid pump and the shaft 29 of the air pump are illustrated asali ned and connected by a coupling 30 so that both pumps may be drivenby a single pulley 31.

When power is applied both pumps are driven rapidly. This causes theliquid pump to draw liquid from the chamber in the base and force it upthe stand pipe and out through the circular outlet orifices in disk-likesheets with sufficient velocity to form a fine spray or vapor. The airpump produces a partial vacuum in the casing and air rushes in throughthe air inlet open ings .which are restricted so asto result in therequired rarification of the air in the casing. This entering air as itexpands in the partial vacuum rapidly absorbs heat units from thecooling spray or vapor through which it must pass and'reduces thetemperature of the liquid so that it acts as v liquid is projected as avapor, in vaporizing it absorbs considerable heat, and some of the vaporwill be carried off with the air,

and this also tends to cool the-remaining.

liquid in the casing below atmospheric temperature. By the combinedemployment and co-action of suitable quantities of rarified air or othergas and vaporized water or other cooling liquid, and drawing the airthrough the liquid the temperature of the fluid in the coils of thisapparatus may be reduced to the degree necessary to effect the desiredresult on that fluid, such as, condensing it, or liquefying it, orbreaking it up.

The invention claimed is 1. An apparatus for absorbing heat from fluidswhich consists of a base, a shell mounted on the base, a cap on theshell, a stand pipe holding said parts together, said shell havingadjustable air in-let orifices and said stand a pipe having adjustableliquid ejecting orifices, means for forcing liquid into said stand pipeand withdrawing liquid from said base, means for withdrawing air fromsaid shell, and a coil of pipe in said shell and surrounding the standpipe.

2. An apparatus for absorbing heat from fluids which consists of a base,a shell mounted on the base, a. cap on the shell, a stand pipe'tyingsaid parts together, said base having a li uid ln-let openingcommunicating with t e stand pipe and. an outlet opening adjacentthereto, said shell having air inlet orifices through its wall near'ranged within the shell and surrounding the stand pipe for the purposespecified.

PIERCE R. MQCRARY.

